Justice Department · Friday, October 2, 2026
Justice Department sues Maryland over officer mask and ID rules
The File desk · Oct 2, 2026, 10:10 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed as a filing (Justice Department, Oct. 1, 2026). The merits are not decided.
The Justice Department sued the State of Maryland, Attorney General Brown, the police standards commission, and Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. The suit challenges rules on masks and identification for federal officers. It is the eighth such state case. The statutes named are Legal instrument A Maryland public-safety provision the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided. Legal instrument A Maryland public-safety provision the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided. Legal instrument A Maryland public-safety provision the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided. Legal instrument A Prince George’s County code section the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided. Legal instrument A Montgomery County code section the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided.Maryland Public Safety § 3-207
Maryland Public Safety § 3-535
Maryland Public Safety § 3-536
Prince George’s County Code § 18-124
Montgomery County Code § 35-13E
The Justice Department said it filed the complaint on Oct. 1, 2026.
The defendants are the State of Maryland and Attorney General Brown.
The police standards commission is also a defendant.
So are Prince George’s County and Montgomery County.
The fight is over mask and identification rules for federal officers.
The department says this is the eighth state it has sued on this kind of rule.
The state provisions named are Legal instrument A Maryland public-safety provision the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided. Legal instrument A Maryland public-safety provision the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided. Legal instrument A Maryland public-safety provision the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided.Maryland Public Safety § 3-207
Maryland Public Safety § 3-535
Maryland Public Safety § 3-536
The local codes named are Legal instrument A Prince George’s County code section the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided. Legal instrument A Montgomery County code section the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided.Prince George’s County Code § 18-124
Montgomery County Code § 35-13E
The department says those provisions restrict federal officers’ masks and identification.
A filed complaint states the department’s claims.
The court has not ruled. The merits are unresolved.
What is still unknown or disputed
- How each numbered section divides masks from identification. The department’s release treats them together.
- Any schedule for a hearing.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
Justice Department files a complaint against Maryland, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County
U.S. Department of Justice · October 1, 2026
Complaint against the State of Maryland, Attorney General Brown, the police standards commission, and Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties over mask and identification rules for federal officers. Eighth such state. Statutes named: Maryland Public Safety §§ 3-207, 3-535, and 3-536;
;Legal instrument
Prince George’s County Code § 18-124
A Prince George’s County code section the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided.
. Merits unresolved.Legal instrument
Montgomery County Code § 35-13E
A Montgomery County code section the Justice Department says restricts federal officers’ masks or identification. The lawsuit’s merits are not decided.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-complaint-against-state-maryland-prince-georges-county-md-and